Breed: Pit Bull mix
Current weight: 20 lbs
Approx. birthday: 01/23/07
Entered program: 02/20/07
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Carolina
foster update (07/19/07):
Carolina, who now answers to Scarlett (O'Hara not Johanson), is a big baby in every way. She loves, no, thrives on attention and will go to the ends of the earth to get it. She is hyper and bouncy inside, and plays for hours with whatever or whoever she can find to play along. However, is shy and polite outside of the house, and verges on frightened when it comes to other animals. She is learning slowly but surely that strangers are her friends, and will now cautiously approach our neighbors and their dogs, and within minutes is back to bouncing, licking, barking, and wagging. She is incredibly sweet and lovable, but her energy can be overwhelming. She NEEDS a yard that is accessible to her for a great deal of time during the day. She is perfectly content while playing inside, but the moment she gets bored she sits by the door. This is confusing when trying to determine whether a potty break is necessary, and frustrating since she only goes to the bathroom a quarter of the time and spends the rest sniffing the air and playing with the grass. It is my sincere belief that if she had a yard, someone to pet her, and some chew toys she would be happy to the end of her days. She does not like being left alone, which I'm sure is due to her having moved to many different foster homes, but she tolerates her crate like a lady, and only whines for a minute or so as long as you leave the house. If you don't leave that is another story, the whining never ends, but I think a yard would solve that as well since she seems to like being left on the porch. She is great with kids, dogs, babies, puppies, and people of all other shapes and sizes, and I've never heard her growl, ever. I have also found that she is sensitive to salty foods, such as peanut butter, and tends to have stomach issues when given it in her Kong. I wedge some soft treats in it with an Ice cube and it keeps her busy for the same amount of time. Scarlett would be the perfect dog for a family who could keep up with her playfulness, and give her the space an attention she needs.
foster update (05/14/07):
Carolina's previous foster mom had two small
children who adored her and she adored them. She loves to play with
everyone. I would feel 100% comfortable having her around children of
all ages.
Carolina is a curious and rambunctious little puppy! She is full of puppy energy and loves to run laps around the coffee table. She loves her toys, and loves to play with/around her foster sister, a 6 year old pit. She likes to climb all around you and likes to hide her bones in the couch in true hound dog fashion.
Her favorite toys are raw hide bones raw hide bones, and more raw hide bones! She does like squeaky toys also, but again, for her little puppy teeth the raw hide are the clear favorite. She also likes a puppy kong stuffed with peanut butter.
Carolina ran around the corner of my apartment building last week and ran head on into a cat...she proceeded to turn around and run back into the house, she was so taken by surprise! She ran in and jumped in her cage, then cautiously came back out and peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. Relieved the cat was gone, she bounded into my arms to kiss and hug me :)
Carolina loves to play with her older foster sister, who doesnt always want to play when Carolina does. Her older sister is much more dominant than she is but Carolina can hold her own and will keep trying to go back for more playtime.
Aside from the cat that scared her off, she hasnt had any other interactions. She is curious about the lights in my fishtanks, but doesnt try to swat at or get at the fish.
Carolina has ALMOST got the potty training thing down. She will go to the door when she needs to go out, but will only go by herself, so I tend to walk the two dogs separately. She is currently crated during the day to avoid any accidents.
Carolina's ideal family is one with small children who can spend alot of time playing with her.
Carolina is an absolute doll to have around! She is very curious and loves to explore every smell she can! I dont think Carolina will be all that big when she grows up. Her big personality is enough! :)
Click here to fill out an adoption application.
Note about puppies: Many people want to adopt pit bull puppies because they feel that, by adopting them younger, there is less chance that they will be aggressive as they get older. While human aggression is not a predisposed standard trait of this breed, a very real likelihood of maturing into canine aggression does exist. Good socialization will certainly help with the aggression that any unsocialized breed might have as they get older. This aggression can be bourne from the fear of the unknown and socialization early and often is the best solution to this. Unfortunately, there is also a component of some pit bulls that is a genetic canine aggression (aggression towards other dogs). This cannot be socialized out and generally does not manifest itself until they reach maturity, which can be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years of age. If you are adopting a puppy to include into a multi-dog family, be aware that, through no fault of his own, this puppy can mature into a dog that might be unpredictable with the other dogs in your family and out in the world. This is not a certainty by any means but something that a responsible pit bull owner should know and be aware of.
Please note that Pit Bull Rescue San Diego does not adopt on a first come first served basis. Generally we have formed an opinion about the sort of home that we want for each of the dogs in our program. This opinon is formed from knowing each dog and observing their interactions in various situations and through periodic evaluations. Our goal is to place our charges in the home that is the best possible for that particular dog. Our only goal is happiness and forever homes for our dogs. A forever home is most likely to happen when we do the best we can to find lifestyles and personalities that match.
We are aware that this is a human process and that you may or may not agree with our decisions. Please understand that we take very seriously the lives placed in our hands for this brief time and our decisions are only made out of protectiveness for the breed and the specific dogs we are placing and not out of any judgment of you or your life.